Humidistat for Wood conditioning box

Farrell mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
Mon, 23 Jan 2006 21:35:55 -0500


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I certainly won't say that it won't work, but I have my doubts it will =
provide enough accuracy.=20

If your shop is 50% RH at 70 degrees, you will need to warm the hot box =
up to about 90 degrees or so to lower the RH to around 30%. 90 degrees =
and 30.5% should give you an EMC of 6.0% (I find my hot box is usually =
operating in that range). If you have a fluctuation of 2.5% RH both =
ways, that would equate to a range of about 5.6% to 6.4% EMC. Yes, if =
the on/off cycle was fairly short and the environment spent a similar =
time at both extremes, you should have a panel with an EMC pretty close =
to 6.0%. But what if  90% of the time it is at 6.4% and only spends a =
small amount of time in the lower ranges?

However, if you can limit the temperature of the hot box to within one =
degree F or so, hot box RH will vary less than 1% up or down from target =
and potential MC extremes would be about 5.85% and 6.15%. I haven't made =
a careful study of the performance of my thermostat, but it sure seems =
to keep the hot box environment at a pretty darn consistent temperature. =
Once I set it, I can check, check, check and it is always within a few =
tenths of a degree. I think a good fan in the hot box is also important.

The one thing that a humidistat has to offer is complete hands-off =
environment control. With my thermostat, you do have to manually monitor =
the hot box because the first day you put a panel in the box the RH =
keeps rising as the wood looses moisture - so you need to turn the =
temperature up. But then after the wood looses most of the moisture it =
is going to loose, and the hot box has leaked (you do need a vent) it's =
excess moisture, you need to turn the temperature down - otherwise you =
will cook your soundboard! I just pop a panel in there when I have a =
shop day - it's really not any trouble - but you do have to remember to =
check it!

So maybe it would be a good thing to try that humidistat out. Record its =
performance and let us know. I'd sure be curious.

Terry Farrell

----- Original Message -----=20
  I guess they do that so that it isn't clicking on and off constantly.  =
If you set it for 30% I imagine it takes it down to 30% and then shuts =
off.  It doesn't turn on again until it hits 35%.  You could set it 2.5% =
below your target which would have it fluctuating 2.5% above and 2.5% =
below and give you an average RH over time of your target.  Since it =
takes a certain amount of time for the wood to lose or gain moisture you =
would expect the range of the corresponding EMC to be somewhat less than =
5% which would put it in an acceptable range of your target, I would =
presume.  That's, of course, assuming that they are accurate. =20


  David Love
  davidlovepianos@comcast.net=20

  -----Original Message-----


  That web site states "The differential between the on and off points =
is fixed at 5% RH", which means the environment will vary 5%, depending =
on where it is in the on/off cycle. A decent thermostat will keep the =
environment within a degree or so and thus keeps the RH next to =
perfectly constant.=20



  I had considered this subject humidistat and others also. I'm glad I =
stuck with the simple thermostat. It reall is easy to use and works very =
well.



  Terry Farrell



  ----- Original Message -----=20

  >> I found this humidistat that I would use for a wood conditioning =
box=20
  >> that seems to be fairly good but expensive ($290).  Anyone have any =

  >> experience with it or can you suggest one that works as well for =
less=20
  >> $$$.  It's the RHC that I'm looking at-scroll down to the second =
unit.=20
  >>=20
  >> http://www.greenair.com/humidistat.htm
  >>=20
  >> David Love
  >=20
  >=20
  > If you're conditioning wood for soundboard building, +-5%RH is=20
  > pretty miserable accuracy. If you set it at 30%RH and 90=B0F looking =

  > for 6%MC, you could get anywhere from 5.2%-6.7%. Of course, if=20
  > that's just calibration accuracy, and repeatability within a narrow=20
  > range is good (which they never seem to think is important enough to =

  > mention) you can offset the reading and be pretty close. I assume=20
  > that's what the mentioned 5% "set differential" is for. So even a=20
  > cheap humidistat can work well if it makes the same mistake with=20
  > dependable repeatability.
  >=20
  > Ron N

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